This one’s a little less flippant than the one in my first post on the subject today. David Hale links to this Atlanta Business Chronicle story on the city of Atlanta making an effort to attract the Georgia-Florida game to the Georgia Dome.

Aside from this ludicrous statement –

ACVB’s Pate said he thought the Georgia-Florida game could draw 100,000 people to Atlanta, because many visitors without tickets come to tailgate.

– as if there’s a tailgating equivalency with the parking capacity around the Dome compared to that in Jacksonville around the Stadium-Formerly-Known-As-The-Gator-Bowl – here’s the part that caught my eye.

Pate said he thought whatever gap existed between the size of the stadiums in Jacksonville and Atlanta could be made up financially. “No one’s going to move for less financial impact,” he said. “You’d have to pull together all the right things. … I’m confident the gap could be closed.”

I can only think of one way to do that. Yep, we get another tradition mucked up and pay more for the privilege of doing so. Oh, and does anyone have any idea what the new cutoff figure would be for getting tickets?

Because Florida would be slower on artificial turf. It would be a great idea to move the Cocktail Party up the Georgia Dome, because it would be just like the Cocktail Party except you’d have to tailgate under an piss-stink overpass strewn with the remnants of a homeless shantytown around you, you would pay even more exorbitant fees for parking, take away the pleasant weather and riverside setting in Jacksonville, take an outdoor game inside, remove at least half of the vibrant tailgating scene in total, eliminate any semblance of playing a game halfway between the two constituencies, get the city of Atlanta involved in planning this thing (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO), and take a tradition and heave it to the trash for no particular reason whatsoever. Except for all of those things, it is a spectacular idea.

40 responses to “And another reason why the WLOCP needs to stay in Jacksonville”

I’ve seen the Dawgs lose in Jacksonville. I’ve seen the Dawgs lose in the Dome. To me, I’d rather lose in Jacksonville. I’d also rather win in Jacksonville. If we lose in Jax, we can drown our sorrows in the Golden Isles for the rest of the weekend. If we win, we can party down in the Golden Isles for the rest of the weekend. I see no downside to this.

Plus, we want to keep Florida out of Atlanta as much as possible. They already come up once a year. Twice is just too much. And having Florida in town when you already have to drive past North Avenue. That’s just too much disgust for one day.

Yep…someone opened up the paper this week and noticed that people in Texas are going to pay over $200 for decent seats for a couple of meh neutral-site games in Dallas. What’s the upper limit on a compelling brokered SEC game?

One thing about the game in Jax is that the schools have always had a pretty firm grip on how it’s run, and tickets (once you meet the minimum donation) have remained reasonable.

And yes…as one who’s tailgated both along the St. John’s and for several games at the Dome, anyone claiming that a comparable experience is possible in Atlanta has probably never done either one.

Here’s a novel idea. Instead of playing our biggest conference rival in their backyard every year, why don’t we go home and home like every other freaking SEC rivalry does? And what world is Mr. Swindle living in if he thinks Jacksonville is “halfway between the two constituencies”? Last time I checked 350 miles is about 280 miles further than 70.

Yea that sucked, but then the Braves won the World Series the same night, also
“Do you know what’s gonna happen here tonight, and up at Midtown and East Atlanta , and all those places where all those dawg people have got those mortgages . Man is there going to be some property destroyed tonight!”, doesn’t sound right

the tri guy: I think “constituencies” was the key word in Orson’s post. Clearly, it’s not halfway between the two schools, but there are lots and lots of Georgia alumni and fans in Savannah, Macon, Valdosta, Jax itself, Golden Isles, Albany, Tifton, Waycross, and all those other little towns scattered across the coastal plain. “Halfway” might be generous, but considering how severely concentrated Georgia alums and fans are in Atlanta, moving the game to the Dome would certainly be more UGA-centric than Jacksonville is UF-oriented.

Holding this game in the Dome would be terrible. Please keep it in Jax.

Tri guy, why do we have to be like everyone else and have a home and home? Having it away from both campuses is what makes our rivalry unique. And, don’t anyone come back with the ” we lose because it is played in Jax” argument. That is weak.

We’re chicken shit if we leave — This would be the first step in running us out of Jacksonville.

Jacksonville is not the problem. It’s the fact that our guys crap their pants anytime they see big and bad ole Florida lining up across from them. Jacksonville didn’t cause Martrez Millner to drop that first pass in 2005. Jacksonville didn’t cause the team to quit last year. Jacksonville didn’t cause us to win in 2007. I wasn’t around during the 70’s and 80’s, but in my trips to J-ville during my college years, I remember older alums and fans talking about how they used to always come down there with teams worse than Florida’s but always found a way to win and it was the Florida fans complaining about Jacksonville. It’s things like the WLOCP and the Red River Shootout that make college football special and not just a minor league for the NFL. Once we start changing these traditions and histories, we start losing what makes college football so special in the first place.

“Having it away from both campuses is what makes our rivalry unique.”–If it’s such a great idea, then why aren’t any of Florida’s other rivals lining up to take our spot if we leave? You think LSU or UT is going to voluntary give up a home game every other year for the privilege of playing UF 75 miles from Gainesville?

Nope, we don’t lose because the game’s in Jax–but it sure isn’t helping us win a whole either, is it? These people saying we need to just “man up and win the game” or “it didn’t matter when we used to win with less talented teams” are kidding themselves. UF is a different monster than it was back then and those days are never coming back.

We are not going to rip off a 16-3 run to square things back up. But I do think we can expect to win 50% of the time. If you think we can all of a sudden start winning every other year in Jax. then you have more faith than I do. I think something drastic has to change to shake the psychology of the rivalry, ie. home and home.

Is is possible to get jet lag on a 90 minute bus ride? UGA and UF have had similar records against common opponents for the better part of 10 years. The only thing that’s totally out of whack is UGA’s record against UF. If they can beat similar teams the same amount of the time and loss to similar teams the same amount of the time, I don’t see why it’s unreasonable for them to beat and lose to each other similar amounts of the time either.

If they can beat similar teams the same amount of the time and loss to similar teams the same amount of the time, I don’t see why it’s unreasonable for them to beat and lose to each other similar amounts of the time either.

I agree with that. But I don’t see how moving the game in and of itself changes anything.

You’re all missing the point. This is about Underground Atlanta, and the desperate hope that getting the game to Atlanta will finally make Underground happening. The Underground overlords are hungry, and will not be denied!

Well, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. The reason and only reason Dawg fans get upset when someone mentions trying to make the Gators travel a few hours and let our players get a nice little bus ride is alcohol. And it’s a sad day when I’d rather drink and handicap the team, even if only slightly, than see them have an ad our most hated SEC rivals get year after year after year.

If you move the game to Atlanta, you (1) have less seats for Georgia fans and (2) put the game in a place where there will be more demand for seats by Georgia fans. Tickets will be both harder to get and more expensive than they are now.

All that, plus a less enjoyable pre-game experience. Exactly why should I embrace this?

Did you read my post??? LOL, it’s an ad we give them every year, slight or huge, it’s definitely an advantage. I can’t tell you how many, if any games it’s cost us. The same way you can’t tell how, or if, playing LSU on the road in 2003 cost us that game. But to act like it’s not an advantage is just silly.

It’s a nonsensical argument you make here. Georgia under Richt has a better record in opponents’ stadiums than in Athens, yet has a losing record in Jax. You really think you can blame that on the location?

J’ville hotels rip off our fans. So do J’ville businesses. Our players have to spend a day getting to the stadium while the FU players rest. It takes our fans from north Georgia a day to travel to and from J’ville.

This is not about being pussies. It’s not about evening the series. What it is about is allowing Georgia fans to enjoy the cocktail party in our neck of the woods once every four years. And hey, if those poor, poor Gator fans and players have to spend a little money and a lot of time getting to Atlanta, and if we derive a small advantage from their having to do so, then I’m not complaining.

Pro Georgia Dome:
1) Give north Georgia fans a better chance to see the game;
2) Eliminate J’ville businesses ripping off UGA fans;
3) Keep Georgia money at home and obtain FU cash;
4) Make FU players travel 350 miles by bus and stay in an Atlanta hotel to meet a well-rested Georgia team;
5) Eliminate favorable factors that give FU a small advantage in playing UGA.

Barry, if it’s a plus for north Georgia fans for the game to be hosted in the Dome, isn’t the game in Jax a plus for south Georgia fans?

If you want to minimize being ripped off by Jax merchants and keep Georgia money at home, why not simply stay at St. Simons or Jekyll and spend your money locally?

And I’m curious why you think that moving to a smaller venue would only “possibly” result in a more expensive/harder to obtain ticket. Is there something about the law of supply and demand that will get suspended if the game is played in Atlanta?

1) The Georgia Dome held 75,892 fans for the 2008 SEC Championship Game; that’s only about 1000 less than J’ville. Supply and demand would only come into effect because so many more UGA fans would have a chance (not necessarily fulfilled) to come to the game.
2) The argument about cost neglects this fact: it is downright expensive to stay in J’ville, St. Simons or Jekyll. Tickets may be cheaper in J’ville but the accommodations surely are not.
3) UGA fans from south Georgia have always argued that the WLOCP is “their” game. As a measure of respect to my south Georgia friends, I’m not demanding that J’ville lose the game; I’m just saying that it’s in the best interest of the Georgia program and its fans to alter the current arrangement. And remember: approximately 70% of Georgia residents live above the gnat line. Most importantly, OUR PLAYERS live in north Georgia.

WTF??? Atlanta??? Jacksonville???
Screw them both!! Play in the best Damn stadium in the world!! And if any body wants to go to the swamp, it
is the same distance as J’ville. There is no logic to travel to FLORIDA to play the lizards EVERY YEAR! It is an hour for Gainsville…5-6 from Atlanta..And Sanford has 95,000 seats!! Home on home is the only and best answer. Alltel or whatever it is called now sucks..You can’t even walk around it’s perimeter without going outside..As I have heard too many times..Get the Hell out of Alltel!!!
Not to play in Sanford Stadium every other year is just stupid. And regardless of records and numbers, it WILL make a difference to play at home! I have been to Jacksoville often..Saw Spurrier beat the Dawgs in 1965 (I think it was 65) his Heisman year??. There is just no value in going there.

Barry, it’s all about number one. It’s always the first thing they mention and it outweighs the game, the dawgs chances, our players and anything else. Gotta have a great cocktail party, even if it’s in a crappy city. To think we’re arguing this much over Jacksonville. Miami Beach??? I could understand. Orlando, St. Pete??? Maybe.

Jacksonville though??? Just don’t think it’s gonna wind up on any beautiful city list for the USA.

The way things are right now, I get to see the game every year in person for a reasonable ticket price. If you move the game to Athens/Gainesville or Atlanta, that won’t be the case. How hard is it for you to understand that objection?

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a Florida grad from Tampa. The drive is around 3 and a half hours for me, whatever. This is not about anybody’s drive, or which teams wins in a particular year, or anything like that.

I get the Atlanta officials standpoint, but why on God’s green earth would ANYBODY, on either side, want to mess with what is one of the coolest events in college football. I really don’t get how it’s much of an advantage for anybody. I know it sucks to drive 5 hours instead of two depending on where you live, etc. None of these are good enough reasons though.

The stadium is 50-50 every year, beautiful weather, outdoors, right on the river (and I don’t even like Jacksonville). For that one day, it’s a perfect place, win or lose.

Also, Atlanta is for the SEC Championship game. That should be held sacred.

You people are idiots. Has it ever occured to any of you that it’s not the location, but more so as to who had the bye week prior to the game? Seriously? are you guys on the verge of being mentaly handicaped or what? 95% of the wins came from the team who had the bye week, geuss what? About 5-6 times in the past 20 years UGA has had the Bye week. What does that tell you? Location has nothing to do with it.

I know CMR made a stink about this, so for the past 2 years, Instead of having the bye, fla schedules a cream puff. Coincedance? Think about it and get a clue.

Barry,
1, tickets are sold 50/50 so you could play on the moon and there will still be the same amount of fans.
2, Jax holds 85+ with several thousand tailgating outsides and several other thousand at places like the landing, Golden Isles, Amelia watching the game. Dont you think Hotel prices would go up for that weekend in Atl?
3, 70% of Ga residents live above the gnat line? Is that the Ga- Fla border you refer to? If so, then wouldnt 100% of Ga residents live above that line? If not then they would be fla residents.